The future of the wicked

[james g]

XI. THE FUTURE OF THE WICKED.

It is not hard to think of everlasting life, but it is hard to think of an eternity in hell; nevertheless, it is true.

A. The Scriptural Teaching. 1. There Will Be a Day of Judgment Acts 17:30,31.
2. Every Man Will Be Judged for His Works Rom. 2:16;Rev. 20:12. 3. It Is Eternal Mark 9:43-48 See also Matt. 13. 4. There Will Be Degrees of Punishment Rev. 20:12;Rom. 2:5,6. 5. There Will Be a Resurrection of the Unjust As Well As of the Just John 5:29. 6. Language Describes It Matt. 25:46;Mark 9:45-48;John 3:36. 7. All Is Based Upon the Character of God as Righteous. B. The Terms Used.
The following are the places where wicked human beings and angels are, or shall be sent to: 1. Sheol. This is the Old Testament word describing the place of the departed wicked.
2. Hades. This is the New Testament Greek word, describing the immediate state of the wicked dead; it is the same as Sheol. There is nothing in the Bible that speaks of an eternal Hades, or Sheol. 3. Tartarus. This is the place where the wicked angels are chained; it is a place of darkness. 4. Gehenna. Gehenna was the city dump outside of Jerusalem, whose fire never went out. The Lord Himself likened hell unto it, describing the fires of hell that shall always burn: "Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched" Mark 9:44. 5. Tophet. "Tophet" is the Old Testament Hebrew word meaning the same as Gehenna. 6. Abyss. This is the place of fallen angels, human beings are never placed here Rom. 10:7. 7. Lake of Fire. This is found only in the Book of the Revelation. Its meaning is the same as Gehenna. 8. Eternal. Sometimes this word is translated "everlasting." The meaning is the same. The punishment of the wicked is eternal. a. First Interpretation. Thayer translates it to mean "without beginning and without end." b. Second Interpretation. This states that "eternal" means "without beginning." c. Third Interpretation. This holds that "eternal" means "without ending." We agree with all three. We do not hold to the interpretation that it means only "age lasting." Some would have us believe that the wicked will endure hell for just an age. But the word "eternal" describing hell is the same word which describes eternal life John 3:16,and the everlasting God Rom. 16:26, and the everlasting kingdom of Jesus Christ II Peter 1:11
C. The Theories Proposed. 1. Universalism. This is the belief that all will finally be saved, including the Devil. What would the words "judge" and "judgments" mean if they did not mean judge or judgment. When God speaks about eternal judgment, He means eternal judgment Acts 3:21-24;I Cor. 15:22;Matt. 18:9;John 3:36.
2. Conditionalism. This false teaching was not found in the Early Church, but it first made its appearance in the nineteenth century. It was reasoned that eternal life is based upon the acceptance of Jesus Christ. If one accepts Him, he has eternal life. If he does not accept Him, he will never live; non-acceptance in this life will result in non-existence in the future life. There is no Scriptural foundation for this theory.
3. Everlasting Punishment. This is based upon Biblical truth, which connects sin with punishment. All sins committed are committed against eternity. He who sins by rejecting Jesus Christ shall endure eternal punishment. 　

 

[Thiscrosshurts]

Eternal. Sometimes this word is translated "everlasting." The meaning is the same. The punishment of the wicked is eternal. a. First Interpretation. Thayer translates it to mean "without beginning and without end." b. Second Interpretation. This states that "eternal" means "without beginning." c. Third Interpretation. This holds that "eternal" means "without ending." We agree with all three. We do not hold to the interpretation that it means only "age lasting." Some would have us believe that the wicked will endure hell for just an age. But the word "eternal" describing hell is the same word which describes eternal life John 3:16,and the everlasting God Rom. 16:26, and the everlasting kingdom of Jesus Christ II Peter 1:11

If eternal means without beginning and without end wouldn't the wicked always have been there?
How did they get out to begin with?And now they will have to somehow get back to the beginning--no wait ,there is no beginning.
I guess they would have to be injected in the middle like a jelly doughnut.

Sheol. This is the Old Testament word describing the place of the departed wicked.

Sheol was the abode of the dead,all dead not just the wicked.
Sheol is described in the old testament as nothing.

Job 7:9 "Just as a cloud dissipates and vanishes, those who go down to Sheol will not come back."
Psalms 6:4–5 "Turn, O LORD, deliver my life; save me for the sake of your steadfast love. For in death there is no remembrance of you; in Sheol who will give you praise?"

Gehenna. Gehenna was the city dump outside of Jerusalem, whose fire never went out. The Lord Himself likened hell unto it, describing the fires of hell that shall always burn: "Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched"

Mark 9:44. Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.
Jesus did not liken it to anything,that is a description of the actual dump itself.

Hades. This is the New Testament Greek word, describing the immediate state of the wicked dead; it is the same as Sheol. There is nothing in the Bible that speaks of an eternal Hades, or Sheol. 3. Tartarus. This is the place where the wicked angels are chained; it is a place of darkness

Hades is Greek mythology and has nothing to do with the old testament Sheol.The Bible contains descriptions of Sheol.

Greek mythology contains many descriptions of Hades.
They are NOT the same thing.There was no Greek word for Sheol because the Greeks did not believe in Sheol.The translators used the closest word they could find.

I have no doubt the future of the wicked will not go as well as the future of the righteous.But timelines and places are about as clear as mud.There is simply not enough clarity to form any sound doctrine on the afterlife.

 

[james g]

Sheol.Usage Number: 1[/SIZE]
Strong's Number: <H7585>[/SIZE]
Original Word: she’ôl[/SIZE]
Usage Notes: "Sheol." The 66 occurrences of this word are distributed throughout every period of biblical Hebrew. First, the word means the state of death: "For in death there is no remembrance of thee: in the grave who shall give thee thanks?" (Psa. 6:5; cf. Psa. 18:5). It is the final resting place of all men: "They spend their days in wealth, and in a moment go down to the grave (Job 21:13). Hannah confessed that it was the omnipotent God who brings men to She’ôl (death) or kills them (1 Sam. 2:6). "Sheol" is parallel to Hebrew words for "pit" or "hell" (Job 26:6), "corruption" or "decay" (Psa. 16:10), and "destruction" (Prov. 15:11).[/SIZE]
Second, "Sheol" is used of a place of conscious existence after death. In the first biblical appearance of the word Jacob said that he would "go down into the grave unto my son mourning" (Gen. 37:35). All men go to "Sheol", a place and state of consciousness after death (Psa. 16:10). The wicked receive punishment there (Num. 16:30; Deut. 32:22; Psa. 9:17). They are put to shame and silenced in "Sheol" (Psa. 31:17). Jesus alluded to Isaiah's use of She’ôl Isa 14:13-15) in pronouncing judgment on Capernaum (Matt. 11:23), translating "Sheol" as "Hades" or "Hell," meaning the place of conscious existence and judgment. It is an undesirable place for the wicked (Job 24:19) and a refuge for the righteous (Job 14:13). Thus "Sheol" is also a place of reward for the righteous (Hos. 13:14; cf. 1 Cor. 15:55). Jesus' teaching in Luke 16:19-31 seems to reflect accurately the Old Testament concept of She’ôl; it is a place of conscious existence after death, one side of which is occupied by the suffering, unrighteous dead separated by a great chasm from the other side peopled by the righteous dead enjoying their reward.
Hades[/SIZE]
<1,,86,hades>[/SIZE]
"the region of departed spirits of the lost" (but including the blessed dead in periods preceding the ascension of Christ). It has been thought by some that the word etymologically meant "the unseen" (from a, negative, and eido, "to see"), but this derivation is questionable; a more probable derivation is from hado, signifying "all-receiving." It corresponds to "Sheol" in the OT. In the AV of the OT and NT; it has been unhappily rendered "hell," e.g.,Psa_16:10; or "the grave," e.g., Gen_37:35;or "the pit," Num_16:30, Num_16:33;in the NT the revisers have always used the rendering "hades;" in the OT, they have not been uniform in the translation, e.g. in Isa_14:15 "hell" (marg., "Sheol"); usually they have "Sheol" in the text and "the grave" in the margin. It never denotes the grave, nor is the permanent region of the lost; in point of time it is, for such, intermediate between decease and the doom of Gehenna. For the condition, see Luk_16:23-31[/SIZE][/SIZE].
The word is used four times in the Gospels, and always by the Lord, Mat_11:23; Mat_16:18;Luk_10:15;Luk_16:23;it is used with reference to the soul of Christ, Act_2:27,Act_2:31;Christ declares that He has the keys of it, Rev_1:18; in Rev_6:8 it is personified, with the signification of the temporary destiny of the doomed; it is to give up those who are therein, Rev_20:13,and is to be cast into the lake of fire,Rev_20:14.Note: In 1Co_15:55 the most authentic mss. have thanatos, "death," in the 2nd part of the verse, instead of "hades," which the AV wrongly renders "grave" ("hell," in the marg.).
Hell[/SIZE]
<1,,1067,geenna>[/SIZE]
represents the Hebrew Ge-Hinnom (the valley of Tophet) and a corresponding Aramaic word; it is found twelve times in the NT, eleven of which are in the Synoptists, in every instance as uttered by the Lord Himself. He who says to his brother, Thou fool (see under FOOL), will be in danger of "the hell of fire," Mat_5:22;it is better to pluck out (a metaphorical description of irrevocable law) an eye that causes its possessor to stumble, than that his "whole body be cast into hell," Mat_5:29;similarly with the hand, Mat_5:30;in Mat_18:8-9, the admonitions are repeated, with an additional mention of the foot; here, too, the warning concerns the person himself (for which obviously the "body" stands in chapt. 5); in Mat_18:8,"the eternal fire" is mentioned as the doom, the character of the region standing for the region itself, the two being combined in the phrase "the hell of fire," Mat_18:9.To the passage in Matt. 18, that in Mar_9:43-47, is parallel; here to the word "hell" are applied the extended descriptions "the unquenchable fire" and "where their worm dieth not and the fire is not quenched." [/SIZE]
That God, "after He hath killed, hath power to cast into hell," is assigned as a reason why He should be feared with the fear that keeps from evil doing, Luk_12:5;the parallel passage to this in Mat_10:28 declares, not the casting in, but the doom which follows, namely, the destruction (not the loss of being, but of well-being) of "both soul and body." [/SIZE]
In Matt. 23 the Lord denounces the scribes and Pharisees, who in proselytizing a person "make him two-fold more a son of hell" than themselves Mat_23:15,the phrase here being expressive of moral characteristics, and declares the impossibility of their escaping "the judgment of hell," Mat_23:33. In Jam_3:6 "hell" is described as the source of the evil done by misuse of the tongue; here the word stands for the powers of darkness, whose characteristics and destiny are those of "hell." [/SIZE]
For terms descriptive of "hell," see e.g., Mat_13:42;Mat_25:46;Phi_3:19;2Th_1:9;Heb_10:39;2Pe_2:17;Jud_1:13;Rev_2:11;Rev_19:20;Rev_20:6;Rev_20:10;Rev_20:14;Rev_21:8[/SIZE][/SIZE].
Notes: (1) For the rendering "hell" as a translation of hades, corresponding to Sheol, wrongly rendered "the grave" and "hell," see HADES. (2) The verb tartaroo, translated "cast down to hell" in 2Pe_2:4, signifies to consign to Tartarus, which is neither Sheol nor hades nor hell, but the place where those angels whose special sin is referred to in that passage are confined "to be reserved unto judgment;" the region is described as "pits of darkness," RV.
Eternal[/SIZE]
<1,,165,aion>[/SIZE]
"an age," is translated "eternal" in Eph_3:11,lit., "(purpose) of the ages" (marg.). See AGE. [/SIZE]
<2,,166,aionios>[/SIZE]
"describes duration, either undefined but not endless, as in Rom_16:25;2Ti_1:9;Tit_1:2; or undefined because endless as in Rom_16:26,and the other sixty-six places in the NT. [/SIZE]
"The predominant meaning of aionios, that in which it is used everywhere in the NT, save the places noted above, may be seen in 2Co_4:18,where it is set in contrast with proskairos, lit., 'for a season,' and in Phm_1:15,where only in the NT it is used without a noun. Moreover it is used of persons and things which are in their nature endless, as, e.g., of God, Rom_16:26[; of His power, 1Ti_6:16, and of His glory, 1Pe_5:10;of the Holy Spirit, Heb_9:14; of the redemption effected by Christ, Heb_9:12,and of the consequent salvation of men, Heb_5:9,as well as of His future rule, 2Pe_1:11,which is elsewhere declared to be without end, Luk_1:33;of the life received by those who believe in Christ, Joh_3:16,concerning whom He said, 'they shall never perish,' Joh_10:28, and of the resurrection body, 2Co_5:1,elsewhere said to be 'immortal,' 1Co_15:53, in which that life will be finally realized, Mat_25:46;Tit_1:2[/SIZE][/SIZE].
"Aionios is also used of the sin that 'hath never forgiveness,' Mar_3:29,and of the judgment of God, from which there is no appeal, Heb_6:2,and of the fire, which is one of its instruments, Mat_18:8;Mat_25:41;Jud_1:7,and which is elsewhere said to be 'unquenchable,' Mar_9:43."The use of aionios here shows that the punishment referred to in 2Th_1:9,is not temporary, but final, and, accordingly, the phraseology shows that its purpose is not remedial but retributive." * [* From Notes on Thessalonians by Hogg and Vine, pp. 232,233.] <3,,126,aidios>
see EVERLASTING. [/SIZE]

 

[james g]

If eternal means without beginning and without end wouldn't the wicked always have been there?
How did they get out to begin with?And now they will have to somehow get back to the beginning--no wait ,there is no beginning.
I guess they would have to be injected in the middle like a jelly doughnut.
Why So mad

 

[Thiscrosshurts]

Why So mad

Mad as in crazy?Well maybe,the jury is still out on that.
Mad as in angry,no that was actually an attempt at humor.

I see 92% truth in the teaching,there are a few places I feel the author makes hasty assumptions.
Such as:

Usage Notes: "Sheol." The 66 occurrences of this word are distributed throughout every period of biblical Hebrew. First, the word means the state of death: "For in death there is no remembrance of thee: in the grave who shall give thee thanks?" (Psa. 6:5; cf. Psa. 18:5). It is the final resting place of all men: "They spend their days in wealth, and in a moment go down to the grave (Job 21:13). Hannah confessed that it was the omnipotent God who brings men to She’ôl (death) or kills them (1 Sam. 2:6). "Sheol" is parallel to Hebrew words for "pit" or "hell" (Job 26:6), "corruption" or "decay" (Psa. 16:10), and "destruction" (Prov. 15:11

This is correct except for the statement that Sheol is parallel to hell.
It is however referred to as the pit,corruption and decay that is in the Bible, but hell is from Greek mythology.One of these things is not like the other.Also the verses the author uses does not forward his argument that hell is in any way parallel to either hell or Hades.

Thus "Sheol" is also a place of reward for the righteous (Hos. 13:14; cf. 1 Cor. 15:55). Jesus' teaching in Luke 16:19-31 seems to reflect accurately the Old Testament concept of She’ôl; it is a place of conscious existence after death, one side of which is occupied by the suffering, unrighteous dead separated by a great chasm from the other side peopled by the righteous dead enjoying their reward.

All went to Sheol even the righteous ended up there.Not so with hell it is a place of punishment.Hades had many regions but was considerably different than the Hebrew idea of Sheol.An Israelite would not be caught dead in a Pagan afterlife(another attempt at humor).That's why the grave sites were very important to them.They believed in a resurrection of the physical body here on earth(at least most of them).

Hades
<1,,86,hades>
"the region of departed spirits of the lost" (but including the blessed dead in periods preceding the ascension of Christ). It has been thought by some that the word etymologically meant "the unseen" (from a, negative, and eido, "to see"), but this derivation is questionable; a more probable derivation is from hado, signifying "all-receiving." It corresponds to "Sheol" in the OT. In the AV of the OT and NT; it has been unhappily rendered "hell," e.g.,Psa_16:10; or "the grave," e.g., Gen_37:35;or "the pit," Num_16:30, Num_16:33;in the NT the revisers have always used the rendering "hades;" in the OT, they have not been uniform in the translation, e.g. in Isa_14:15 "hell" (marg., "Sheol"); usually they have "Sheol" in the text and "the grave" in the margin.

Again this is all correct except for the assumption that it corresponds to "Sheol" in the OT.The author notes that it is not eternal and seems to argue against his own position toward the end by saying Sheol,the grave and the pit(which are in the Bible)are always rendered Hades.
Well yes,that is the problem.
He then correctly explains hell being used instead of Gehenna but injects that Jesus was referring to the Pagan idea of hell.I just don't see that in what Jesus said.

 

[james g]

So is salvation eternal; & punishment

 

[Thiscrosshurts]

Honestly we are given very little information on the afterlife.
It's way easier to disprove a doctrine than form one that agrees with all scripture.
I have trouble fitting these verses into many doctrines held dear by the church organizations.

Eph. 2:1 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins,
Eph 2:2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this
world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.
Eph 2:5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions
Col 2:12 Having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead.
Eph 2:6 And hath raised [us] up together, and made [us] sit together in heavenly [places] in Christ Jesus
2 Thes 1:10 when He comes to be glorified in His saints on that day, and to be marveled at among all who have believed-- for our testimony to you was believed.

According to these verses we died and were resurrected 2000 years ago and are seated in heavenly places.
Am I waiting for the Lord or am I with him already?
Maybe both,could exist we out of time with him and here in this body/house/tent and in him?
Another question I can't seem to get an answer to is this.
Will God's will be done?
2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

God is not willing that any perish either means his will won't be done or it implies something else.

 

[brakelite]

Life is the ultimate gift for those in Christ. Death is the ultimate destiny for those without Christ. They are set as contrasts-for one to believe in eternal torment one must also believe eternal life is a gift for the wicked also. This contradiction cannot be swept under the proverbial carpet with the old qualifier, that "death is separation from God".
If we are separated from the only source of life, how then can we live?